Champagne and Grape Sorbet with a Saffron and Citrus Sauce. Shockingly good.

I accept that desserts are not my strong suit, I’m not really too fond of baking, and chocolatey stuff in general, but when I came across this recipe on Bon Appetit magazine some time ago, I was instantly won over. It sounded so fresh, sweet, tart and boozy, everything I look for in a dessert (I tend to think of desserts as palate cleansers rather than an actual course). I also really enjoy making ice creams and sorbets; it’s probably the one aspect of dessert making I really enjoy. Anyway, so the first time I tried this dish, it was a real hit, but I felt that something was lacking, a bit of tartness was missing, and so I decided to add the sauce to it. I think the sauce if fantastic, but it shouldn’t take away from the fact that the sorbet itself is a real knockout. The fact that it’s spectacularly easy to make really helps as well!

I also feel I have to apologise for the crappy photo, I had forgotten to take a picture of the sorbet when I first made it, and had to use a few weeks leftover that had been sitting in the freezer, needless to say it was less than cooperative when trying to form into a quenelle.

For the ice cream, makes about 1L

4 cups seedless red grapes

3/4 – 1 cup of Prosecco (or any sparkling wine you may enjoy, just don’t go pouring in a $200 of Dom Perignon)

1/3 cup sugar (adjust sweetness to taste as desired)

1/2 cup grape juice

Zest of 1/3 of a lemon
In a blender, puree the grapes until uniform, and through a fine sieve add to a bowl. Add in all the remaining ingredients and stir together to make sure everything’s incorporated. Add to an ice cream churning machine, and once set, put in freezer for at least 4 hours.

For the sauce, makes about 1/2 cup

1 cup of water

2 tsp of honey

1/2 lemon zest

1/2 lemon juice

1/4 orange zest

Juice of 1 orange

1 pinch of saffron

Again, nothing simpler here, just add all the ingredients to a small saucepan and over a medium heat, whisk and incorporate and reduce to about half (20ish minutes), use honey and lemon juice to adjust tartness and sweetness as desired. I feel that the cooking of the zest in the sauce gives it a nice very mild bitterness that adds to the overall taste. Once satisfied, remove from heat and chill until cold.

Plate as suggested above, but again, the sauce will be quite potent, so use it sparingly just to add another dimension to the dessert; otherwise it will end up overpowering the lively sorbet.